The Astrology Blog 14 December 2020
All times in GMT
“Life always waits for some crisis to occur before revealing itself at its most brilliant.”
“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, Life will reward you with a new hello.”
Paulo Coelho
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Paulo_Coelho
WHAT ARE CRITICAL DEGREES?
This subject is twofold. Firstly there are recognized critical degrees, mostly of value in terms of the ancient craft of Horary astrology (casting a chart to ask a question, ie the birth of a question rather than a person). Derek Appleby in his indispensable book Horary Astrology observed that, “When a significator or the Moon is found upon a critical degree, a crisis is about to break. The matter enquired about is likely to be resolved quite quickly, one way or the other, in the manner of the house in which the degree occurs.”
The classic critical degrees are:
- 0, 13, and 26 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn)
- 8-9 and 21-22 degrees of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius)
- 4 and 17 degrees of mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces)
Secondly it’s widely accepted in astrological practice that critical degrees include the last and first degrees of all signs. The word “critical” of course makes us think dangerous or life threatening, but this is rarely the case. Instead think of critical degrees as being super sensitized and indicating moments of transition. This becomes obvious when we start with the basic information that there are 30 degrees in each sign and that the recognized critical degrees are 0 and 29 (29 is also known as the Anaretic degree). 29 degrees is the end of the old journey (the last degree of a sign) and 0 degrees is the beginning of the new one (the first degree of the next sign).
The personal planets make this transition regularly – the Sun, Mercury and Venus once a month and Mars once every two months (speed varies when retrograde cycles are taken into account). These can indicate minor crises, and endings/beginnings in all forms, the stuff of everyday life that we all have to deal with. But the major planets change sign far less frequently – Jupiter once a year, Saturn about once every two and a half years, thus is it hugely more significant when they reach the critical degrees. We can expect to see this manifesting out in the world and also in our own lives and, yes, this can show in the shape of a crisis breaking and then being resolved. After all, it’s so often our crises that move us on.
This week we have three planets changing sign – first Venus, and then Jupiter and Saturn.
Tuesday 15 December
- Venus ingress Sagittarius 16.22
Thursday 17 December
- Saturn ingress Aquarius 05.04
Saturday 19 December
- Jupiter ingress Aquarius 13.08
Firstly Venus is slightly ahead, arrives at 29 Scorpio and moves to 0 Sagittarius on 15 – 16 December and then quickly moves on. More on Venus further on. However when major planets make this transition it can take a long time to complete the change, as we can see below –
- 8 December – Saturn reached 29 Capricorn
- 17 December – Saturn will reach 0 Aquarius and will take another 9 days to get to 1 Aquarius
- 15 December – Jupiter will reach 29 Capricorn
- 19 December – Jupiter will reach 0 Aquarius and will take another 5 days to get to 1 Aquarius
In other words we’re looking at these transitions taking place over a period of 17 days, from 8th to just after midnight on 26th December. In the process we’ll get the much talked about and anticipated Jupiter – Saturn Great Conjunction at the critical degree 00.29 Aquarius which will be exact 21 December – next Monday 18.22 GMT – which is also the Winter Solstice so we’ll have the Sun at 0 degrees as well, of Capricorn.
THE ASTRONOMY
Astra = stars, Nom = name – Astronomy is the naming of the stars. From the highly readable Bruce McLure’s website Earthsky:
Astronomers use the word conjunction to describe meetings of planets and other objects on our sky’s dome. They use the term Great Conjunction to describe meetings of the two biggest worlds in our solar system, mighty Jupiter and glorious ringed Saturn. The coming great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be on the day of the solstice: December 21, 2020. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years; the last one was in the year 2000. But these conjunctions aren’t all created equal. The 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226! On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be only 0.1 degree apart. Some say the pair will look like an “elongated star” on that date. Will they? Or will they look like a double planet? To know for sure, we’ll have to look and see. They’ll surely be an appealing and mind-expanding sight. Jupiter and Saturn are up every evening now – not far from the sunset glare – easily visible and exceedingly noticeable as two bright objects near each other.
Read more on https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/great-jupiter-saturn-conjunction-dec-21-2020
THE ASTROLOGY
Astra = stars, Logos = reason or knowledge, so Astrology is the information and meaning that we derive symbolically from the heavens.
Whatever the celestial activity, astrology works on the premise of “as above, so below.” This Jupiter – Saturn get together will be the closest conjunction for 800 years so it’s a rare and momentous event. We therefore can expect events on earth that reflect such themes. The most popular example historically is that it’s said that the Great Conjunction happened at the time of Christ’s birth and that it was these two planets who “created” the Star of Bethlehem.
WHAT DOES THE JUPITER – SATURN CONJUNCTION MEAN?
I’ll be talking more about this major event next time as it will be extremely interesting to see how it shows between now and the moment it’s exact at the beginning of next week. However as this major aspect happens only once every 20 years this means that we can pretty much count it as being exact now. The aspect is extremely powerful now that it’s “applying” – in the process of becoming exact – and the second consideration is that we have the coming together of two planets of opposing principles –
- Jupiter – The Greater Benefic – expansion – optimism – can do – happy having fun – says yes
- Saturn – The Greater Malefic – contraction – pessimism – have to – happy being miserable – says no
Then add that the conjunction is happening on the critical degree of 0, in Aquarius, the sign of human rights, society and the collective, and it’s self evident that this relates at least partly to the big pandemic news of the moment, the worldwide vaccination issue. Jupiter is freedom of choice as well as movement and travel, Saturn is authority, and in this union he’s the stronger party as he’s in dignity in this sign. Here we have the anti and the pro vaccinations positions, but with the threat of Saturn pulling rank – have the vaccination or don’t travel, have the vaccination or don’t get that job and so on. A more positive spin is that Saturn is great at putting the brakes on and if these vaccinations really are safe then the conjunction with Jupiter, archetype of The Protector, bodes well.
Such a huge celestial event always carries universal symbolism so am sure it will show in ways other than pandemic related concerns. At a personal level if you have natal planets or angles at 0 degrees Aquarius or the opposite sign of Leo (or the other Fixed signs of Taurus or Scorpio) then this major conjunction will be of special significance for you. Here are some celebrities to watch too whose stories are likely to hit the news in the coming weeks and teach us more –
- Sun 0.16 Aquarius – Sophie Rhys-Jones
- Sun 29.26 Capricorn – Dolly Parton
- Moon 29.52 Capricorn – David Beckham
- Moon 29.00 Capricorn – Judi Dench
- Mercury 00.27 Aquarius – Jennifer Aniston
- Mercury 00.55 Aquarius – Kate Moss
- Mars 00.12 Aquarius – Matthew McConaughey
- Jupiter 00.52 Aquarius – Barack Obama
- Jupiter 00.32 Aquarius – Meryl Streep
- Jupiter 00.19 Aquarius – Jane Fonda
- Saturn 29.51 Capricorn – George Clooney
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING THIS WEEK?
At both a personal or collective level events this week will be paving the way to key changes or developments, as there’s enough astrological activity going on to write a book never mind a blog, starting with the Solar Eclipse which is swiftly followed by Venus arriving at 29 degrees of Scorpio. Here’s the full sequence –
Monday 14 December
- New Moon/Solar Eclipse 23 Sagittarius 16.18
- Venus 29 Scorpio sextile Jupiter 29 Capricorn 21.00
Tuesday 15 December
- Venus 29 Scorpio sextile Saturn 29 Capricorn 13.01
- Venus ingress Sagittarius 16.22
Thursday 17 December
- Saturn ingress Aquarius 05.04
- Moon conjunct Jupiter 29 Capricorn 05.36
Saturday 19 December
- Jupiter ingress Aquarius 13.08
SOLAR ECLIPSE
Pay very close attention to what unfolds for you as this week gets underway on the Solar Eclipse. Some matters may link back to the Lunar Eclipse two weeks ago (Eclipses always work in pairs) and essential symbolism includes –
- Being overshadowed, feeling in the dark
- Themes of empowerment – disempowerment
- Themes of symbolic death/rebirth – out with the old, in with the new
- Sorting winners from losers between twos or threes (Sun, Moon, Earth), eg affairs, job applications
- Revelations – sometimes on the day, or at a later date we learn what happened when the light went out
- Tipping points of change – no going back
As this Eclipse falls in Sagittarius, Jupiter’s sign, this is another indication that there’s a link between the Eclipse and the Grand Conjunction. Vaccination programmes may be getting underway but there’s a very long way to go in terms of pure numbers, evidence of side effects and the longer term goal of lifting lockdowns. As Sagittarius is the sign of the traveler this doesn’t bode well for being on the move for Christmas. Even though we’re virus free on the island of Lefkada we’re still in lockdown until 7 January. Greece doesn’t have a tier system, it’s just one size fits all, so while the numbers remain high in the cities the whole country is at a standstill.
At a personal level if you have planets or angles at or very close to the Eclipse degree then one or more of the themes on the list above is likely to be playing out in your own life, or in the life of someone very close to you.
VENUS 29 SCORPIO – 0 SAGITTARIUS
Venus will align with both Jupiter and Saturn just before all three planets change sign, so all three lined up at 29 degrees, which feels like some kind of closing statement or farewell speech in itself. It’s also worth noting that Venus isn’t too happy in Scorpio, one of her signs of detriment, so any relationship that is already in a tailspin is likely to crash. The flipside of Venus in Scorpio hallmarks are unmistakable – jealousy, secrecy, love triangles, obsessive behavior, sexual problems, power games and control issues. The instinct to cling to a relationship or any familiar situation no matter how unhealthy it is can be very strong, but if this applies to you bear in mind that Jupiter is the big liberator and the master of lucky escapes. When the door swings open, walk through it.
This whole week carries a theme of inevitability and it’s best not to try and cling to anything that’s unraveling. However there’s a big difference between tailspins and turbulence. If you’ve been going through a rocky patch then the murkier issues can now struggle out of the shadows and there’s the chance to make fresh starts of the clearheaded kind. It’s time to be very clear about what you want – and what you don’t. You might surprise yourself.
MOON – JUPITER CONJUNCTION
The Moon catches up with Jupiter once a month but I’ve noted it here as Jupiter reaches the end of his year in Capricorn. In other words this is the last time for 12 years that the conjunction will fall in this sign. This is the Moon’s sign of detriment and Jupiter’s sign of “fall” – most difficult sign for this planet – so again we have a troubled combination and this monthly event has been a clear lockdown hallmark throughout this whole Annus Horribilis. It falls within half an hour of Saturn’s change of sign and again there’s a sense of closure.
As Elisabeth Brooke posted on The World of Astrology Facebook group page yesterday –
We are coming to the end of the Melancholic season, which ends on the Solstice 21st of December. The Melancholic relates to the element earth and I think we all could agree this has been a heavy time for us.
The next Moon – Jupiter conjunction will of course be the first one in Aquarius and will fall on 14 January. Let’s hope it will be a breath of fresh air.
LAST WORD TO MERCURY
At the end of last week we had the Sun trine Mars, Mercury the mind planet now repeats that aspect and then catches up with the Sun at the weekend –
Tuesday 15 December
- Mercury 21 Sagittarius trine Mars 21 Aries 04.25
- Chiron turns direct at 5 Aries
Sunday 20 December
- Sun conjunct Mercury 28 Sagittarius 03.27
These are extremely helpful aspects for everything that comes under the communication umbrella. Problem solving and solution finding are on the cards, including decisions that are simply made for you. Note that Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun is a hotspot of help, insights or crucial information as this is when Mercury is said to be “cazimi” – the name given to any planet being conjunct the Sun to within 17 minutes of arc (just over a quarter of a degree.) This is when the planet is said to be empowered by being in the heart of the Sun. I’ve noticed countless times that these moments have a way of presenting us with just the thing we needed to know or with the right person at the right time.
In the middle of the Mercury activity you’ll see that Chiron turns direct, which is another healthy turning point as the Wounded Healer has been retrograde since the middle of July, just as we came through the last Eclipse season. It’s a supporting role for the whole bigger picture shift towards that light at the end of the tunnel, a testimony to getting back on track with health concerns or fresh starts.
Chiron turning around in Aries, sign of the individual, has a feel good factor in terms of our personal wishes and goals. We’ve become very used now to seeing ourselves as part of the collective, which has its own beauty, but more and more is being written about the toll of anxiety and lockdowns on our mental health. Depression, fleeting or persistent, has been something that we’ve all encountered. Maybe this is the week when we can say, “I matter. What I want or need still counts. How I can live my life in the best way still matters.” Mars ruled Aries is brilliant at kick starts. Mars himself is picking up speed and powering forwards in Aries. So tend to your ego, nurture the things that uplift your own spirit, and be “self”-ish. When we’re in a good space not only do we feel better physically and mentally but this also rubs off on others. Take that leaf out of the Aries book that is all about true independence, recognizing the things that nobody else can do for us, the things that only we can do for ourselves. Get those New Year resolutions together as Mars will be “out of shadow” in the first week of 2021 – that’s now only a couple of weeks away, hurrah!
Until next week, with love and encouragement,
Joanna